Jeremy Irons to mark Bristol Old Vic's 250th anniversary

Jeremy Irons and Lesley Manville will be directed by Sir Richard Eyre

Actor Jeremy Irons is to return to Bristol's Old Vic theatre, where he began his career, to mark the venue's 250th anniversary next year.

The Oscar-winner trained at the Old Vic before going on to star in TV shows and films including Brideshead Revisited, Reversal of Fortune and Elizabeth I.

He will appear with actress Lesley Manville in Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey Into Night in Bristol in March.

The Old Vic opened in 1766 and claims to be the UK's oldest working theatre.

Long Day's Journey Into Night will be directed by former National Theatre artistic director Sir Richard Eyre.

Sir Richard's first visit to the theatre was to see Peter O'Toole play Hamlet at the Old Vic in 1957. "That evening ignited a lifetime's attraction to theatre," he said.

"To be back here over 50 years later to direct a play during the 250th anniversary is a real thrill. To direct Long Day's Journey Into Night - one of the greatest (and saddest) plays ever written - is a real privilege."

Jeremy Irons appeared in Hay Fever at the Bristol Old Vic in 1970

There will be a street festival on the anniversary itself - 30 May - along with further celebrations over that weekend.

Artistic director Tom Morris said: "Since it first opened, this historic playhouse has been celebrated for its remarkable design and as a place where countless artists, from Sarah Siddons and Henry Irving, to Peter O'Toole, Daniel Day Lewis and Miranda Richardson, have found their voices.

"Its survival is a result of extreme good fortune and its amazing capacity to inspire loyalty in its artists, staff and public."

The venue closed for an 18-month refurbishment between 2010 and 2012 and is currently raising £12.5m for the next phase of its redevelopment plans.

The new season will also include the return of the Old Vic's production of Jane Eyre and Pink Mist by poet Owen Sheers.

The next phase of the Old Vic's redevelopment work is due to start next summer

The Bristol Old Vic's past

• The theatre was built in 1766

• It was sold in 1942 and narrowly escaped being turned into a banana ripening warehouse

• It is the only surviving example of the 18th Century horseshoe-shaped theatre

• The building was not called The Old Vic until after 1946

• Previous names include Bristol Theatre Royal, King St Theatre and The Old Gaffe